I'll Come Marching Home
by 7SheWolfShaman7
Summary: Her village was unjustly attacked, and now the blind Akira is left orphaned. However, this doesn't mean she's helpless. After running away from her cruel life, Akira receives a mission from Avatar Roku, and must help train Aang and fight in the war, but can she handle it all? Will anyone trust a firebender runaway? Rated T just to be safe. OC story.
1. Unjust Attacks

**(A/N) Okay, I am currently in the process of editing and playing around with my old fan fictions I wrote for other websites so I can post them here. The writing may not be the same as my current writing since I wrote this stiff many months ago, but I think you'll enjoy it.**

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_**Chapter 1**_

"Momma! Daddy!" cried the little three-year-old girl, whose name was Akira. Unfortunately, the girl's parents could not hear their child's frantic screams over the roar of fire and the crashing of earth. It had happened so suddenly, and no one was ready. This was a small fire nation village that had taken no part in the hundred-year war. But the earth benders who were attacking didn't know that.

"Momma! Daddy! I'm scared!" cried the small girl. Then suddenly she was being picked up and rushed away. At first, Akira thought it was her mother, but the voice didn't belong to either of her parents, and she could sense he didn't want to help her.

"Soldier! Why do you have that child?!" yelled the general at the soldier.

"I thought we could use a captive, sir. You know, a hostage?" he replied almost timidly. All the while Akira was screaming and crying.

"Give her to me," said the general. The soldier handed over the child, and one look at her face made the man sneer in disgust. "She's blind!" he yelled pointing to the girl's amber eyes that were glazed over with a dull gray.

"What should I do with her sir?" asked the soldier to his commanding officer.

"Get rid of her! A blind toddler is of no use to us!" yelled the man in anger, handing the child back to the frightened soldier.

The soldier ran off into the forest, terrified into following orders. The lights of the village's fires became smaller and smaller, until they were hardly visible anymore, and yet the soldier continued on with the screaming child in his arms.

The soldier carried the child through the woods until he found a small river. He was prepared to just throw the child in, but then the foliage exploded in flames and flying debris. Surprised, the soldier dropped Akira to the ground, and stood to face the threat.

"Who's there?!" he yelled through the darkness, but was only answered by the deafening roar of some unknown creature. With that, the man turned and fled back to the battle.

* * *

Akira continued to sob, as much in confusion as in terror. What was happening to her? Where was her mom and dad? And why did that man just leave her there in the middle of nowhere?! But before she could continue her thoughts on her predicament, a strange looking creature approached her from the shadows. It was large, she could tell that much, and began a rumbling sound from it's throat. It was a platypus dragon. A rare animal with the long body and long neck of a dragon, along with scale-less and furless wings. It also had the duck bill and face of a platypus. The furry dragon wrapped its tail around her in a loving, gentle embrace. She had seen the man taking the child to the river and, sensing his intent to kill her, she came to her defense.

The platypus dragon now took Akira in her webbed hand-like paws and took off. They passed over the thick forests, going along the path the river made until it emptied into a much larger river. She touched down beside a cave near the bank of the river, and out of this cave ran a baby platypus dragon. Akira couldn't see her, but the platypus dragon wanted herself to be known, for she was pouncing on the girl, trying to play.

"Hello, little girl," she said to the baby creature. "You really like playing! I'll name you after my Nana, because she plays with me a lot too. You're name is Ren!" she said and tumbled after the little animal that was her new friend. She went running around, but being only a child, she wasn't careful. After a couple minutes she fell into the ice cold river.

"Aahhhhh! Help!" Akira screamed before going under, into complete darkness. She became horrified when a new thought hit her: she couldn't swim, so how would she get out! Then two furry arms grabbed her and carried her to the surface. It was the mother platypus dragon. She coughed out the water she had taken in. Then she threw her arms around her new friend and began to cry. Soon afterward her body started trembling, but the platypus dragon simply licked the girl in the face and let her cry herself out, and soon the girl was quiet.

"I'll name you after my Mommy! You act like a mommy towards me. Your name is Naomi!" she cried with delight. "How will I get around if I can't see, though?"

Naomi seemed to sense what Akira was asking, and she put her bill up to Akira's outstretched hand. Nothing happened, and so Akira took her hand away went up to Ren and followed her into the cave. Akira sat there for awhile, wondering why Naomi had touched her hand with her bill. She laid down and grabbed the rock next to her to rest her head on. A moment or two passed, then Akira bolted upright. She had grabbed the rock, she had known the rock was there. She had sensed it! She didn't necessarily see it, but she knew it was there! Akira faced every which way, and she could sense that there were objects surrounding her like the rocks and walls.

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For those of you who don't know, every object gives off electrical signals and energy, even if it does not move. Certain animals, including every animal that is part platypus, can sense these signals and can tell the distance, size, and shape of objects. The platypus dragon is special though. A fire bender can sense the energy and electrical signals given off by objects because of their ability to produce electricity through lightning and their ability to use energy to make fire. Since the platypus is combined with a fire bending animal like the dragon, it is able to have a complete picture in their mind of all objects as far as the eye can see. They can see everything, practically everywhere, even if it's behind another object. Naomi just taught Akira to recognize the electrical charges. Akira can now "see" using fire bending.

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**(A/N) Okay, good start to the story? By the way, sensing electrical signals is actually a real thing. In platypuses and other animals, it is called electroreception. Animals with this sixth sense can detect electrical signals given off by all objects and are able to "see" the size, shape, and basically anything like that about what's around them. I thought it would be perfect for this, so that a fire bender can "see" with fire bending. Oh, and who else thinks a platypus dragon would be cute? And cool, very cool...**


	2. Goodbye to a Friend

**(A/N) Okay, chapter 2. Remember, reviews are greatly appreciated! I really want to know how you guys feel about the story, even if it's just two or three words! The beginning may be a bit slow to the plot, but it speeds up soon.**

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_**Chapter 2 Goodbye to a Friend**_

Akira had now been with Naomi and Ren for a month. She had been sharing their diet of fish, which she cooked using the small flames she was able to produce with her fire bending. Naomi had chaperoned Akira as she developed her new-found "sight." Naomi had also taken her and Ren to a small pond and started teaching them to swim. Akira was ecstatic, for she had managed to stay floating and now didn't worry about sinking at all. The problem was propelling herself forward!

Everyday, all day, Akira and Ren would tumble around in play. They were evenly matched, for they were the same size and Ren had yet to discover her new teeth. Akira enjoyed every minute of it and would be upset when Naomi stopped their play for dinner or nap time. Naomi really did treat Akira just like her own baby.

They were having the normal meal of fish one night when, out of nowhere, a boar-q-pine crashed through the trees. Akira and Ren watched Naomi as she jumped into action. They watched her fight it off from the safety of the cave, but the creature suddenly turned and ran for the cave entrance.

"No! Get away!" Akira screamed. Naomi chased the beast, grabbed at his spiny leg in her teeth, and the animal gave a chilling roar. Turning on its heals, the creature dove into Naomi's side, thrashing about for a few moments. Then suddenly it turned and fled. It was gone just as quickly as it had arrived. Akira turned her head from the place where the animal head fled to where Naomi lay, unmoving.

"Naomi?" the girl asked timidly. When she got no response, she frantically ran up to where her friend was lying. "Naomi!" she cried, but she knew that Naomi was no longer there. Her eyes were cold, and the lifeblood of her new mother ran everywhere. She just wasn't there.

Through her tears she saw Ren walk up to her mother and lay down, cuddling up to her. Akira knew she was grieving, too.

And saying goodbye.  
***

The three fire nation soldiers stopped where they were on the path in the woods. They had heard the roars of a boar-q-pine and the death cry of some animal.

"It's probably just a fight between the animals," said one of the soldiers dismissively. But then there was another sound.

"Wait! Did you hear that?!" said another.

Then they heard Akira's cry again. "Naomi!" it said.

"Come on, this way!" said the third soldier, leading the other two at a run towards the sound. When they broke through the foliage next to the bank of a river, what they saw shocked them. There, sitting next to the body of a mangled animal and its baby, was a little girl with chocolate brown hair down to her shoulders and glazed over amber eyes.

"Hello, there. What are you doing here? Are you lost?" asked one of the soldiers in a soothing tone. The girl didn't answer, so the soldier picked her up gently. They started to leave, but the girl spoke up.

"Wait! What about my friend, Ren?!" she asked frantically, pointing to the baby platypus dragon.

"Is she your pet?" asked the soldier who was carrying her. The girl nodded in reply. The soldier turned to one of the others, who must have been the leader.

"Get the animal," he said to the third soldier, and he went and picked up Ren.

"I bet she's the little girl who went missing after those Earth Kingdom soldiers attacked that village," said the one carrying Ren, while they started walking.

"So should we bring her back to the village?" one asked the leader.

"No. The girl's parents died in the attack. And it's a poor village, so no one could take her in. We'll take her to the orphanage in another town," replied the leader. "Little girl, what's your name?"

"Akira," she answered.

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**(A/N) Okay, the chapter is done! What'd you all think? Love it? Hate it? Bored? Please review!**


	3. A New Agenda

**(A/N) Okay, so this is where the action begins to unfold. We get an idea of the life of our young hero, and she will be a hero. Just wait...**

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_**Chapter 3 A New Agenda**_

"Happy birthday, Akira," said my "mother", Nori without any emotion.

"Thanks," I replied sarcastically. It was my thirteenth birthday.

"Don't talk that way to me! You're a very lucky girl! I let you keep that filthy platypus dragon, didn't I?" she said in anger, referring to Ren. Well, she would have to deal with it, because platypus dragons live as long as we do, I thought smugly.

Nori was an unpleasant, angry woman with no husband. She was very loyal to Firelord Ozai, and was adherent to his rule. She spent most days commenting on how lazy and disrespectful I had always been, or just verbally abusing me. Let's just say Nori isn't exactly motherly. She only took me in as a foster child because the government pays her to do it. The only good thing she's done for me really is let me take fire bending lessons. Everyone thinks I can't see everything, since I'm technically blind, so the master kept me at the basics. Nothing past the beginner stuff. It didn't matter, because every moment I had I would go out into the back woods of the town and practice with Ren. Ren was a good teacher because she's a natural fire bending master. She's taught me everything I know beyond the basics, so no one knows that I'm actually a master.

Life with Nori was awful, because she made me do all the cleaning and cooking in the house and also work at the town's market. I really couldn't have been put with a worse foster parent, especially since I hate the thought of Ozai's rule, just like my parents, but Nori had always been in complete favor of it. When I was younger, I would tell her that I hated Ozai's laws, and she would always hit me. Eventually I learned to never speak about it, but today all of that changes. I'm never going to see Nori again if my plan goes well. Today is my thirteenth birthday, and ever since I was little I promised myself that when I was thirteen I would run away from here.

"C'mon Ren!" I yelled to her inside the barn where she sleeps. I had already packed a sack of rice, some apples, and all the money I have: fifty silver pieces from working in the market since I was eight. At my side I had my sheathed sword. It was given to me by my rich friend for my eleventh birthday, but I had to teach myself to use it.

"You goin' somewhere?" I spun around, fearing it was Nori. It was a girl I had seen in school, but never talked to. "Don't worry. I won't tell anyone," she said, and I relaxed.

"I'm leaving my foster mother," I said to her, pulling her inside the barn. "I hate her. I can't live with her anymore."

"Are you going to a place where they don't like Ozai?" she asked, surprising me. How did she know how I felt about that tyrant? "I see the way you look when they talk about Ozai at school. My family is one of the town's few who oppose Ozai. My advice for you, go find the Avatar." I looked at her incredulously.

"What?" I said.

"I had a dream last night, where I saw the boy with the arrows in some kind of temple on some cliffs. They say he still needs a fire bending teacher," she said.

"A cliff? You're confusing me. I'm just leaving. I'm not going to look for the Avatar. And you won't tell anyone about this right?" I asked her, to which she nodded. I went to go take off with Ren, but the girl stopped me.

"Wait you'll need this!" she said and handed me a rolled up piece of paper.

"What's your name?" I asked the strange girl.

"Rei."

I looked down at the piece of paper, unrolled it, and discovered that it was a map of the world.

"Hey, thanks! I-" but when I looked up she was gone.

Weird, I thought. Then Ren and I took off and flew for a few hours in one direction, then we touched down in a small meadow in the middle of a large forest. Night was falling, so we bedded down for the night.

No sooner had I closed my eyes and fell into a deep sleep than the vision started to form. There before me was Avatar Roku.

All I could do was bow down to this great being.

"Akira," he spoke, "do you trust me?"

"Of course I do Avatar Roku," I told him.

"Do you trust Ozai?" he asked.

"No, I do not," I said in reply.

"Good. Then why did you say no to Rei?"

"What do you mean? How will I find Aang, even if I was supposed to find him?" I asked.

"You are supposed to find him. It is your destiny to help him defeat Ozai, and put an end to this war that has ruined the lives of so many. Including yours," he said, and I looked down.

"How do I find him?"

Roku made no verbal response. He just held out his hand and touched my forehead. Then, in a flash of light, we were speeding through the air. Over the forests, across the ocean, and through a grassy land until we finally stopped at the cliffs that support the Western Air Temple. Then we were flying the way back and when we were almost back in the forest, I heard Roku's voice: "Good luck, Akira. Be safe." The last thing I saw was a point marked on the map Rei gave me. Then I woke up.

When I opened my eyes it was already morning. I scrambled to my knees to look at the map, and found that the spot that was marked off in my vision was now clearly marked here. It was only a day's travel from where we are now. Suddenly I heard a rustling in the bushes behind me.

I whipped around, only to see Ren with three large catfish in her teeth. Nori never let me feed her the food from our table, so Ren has always spent the early mornings fishing for herself. No different than usual.

"Well, Ren. It looks like you've had a productive day so far!" I exclaimed as she gulped down her meal.

I had a small breakfast of an apple, then I turned towards the sun-bathing Ren.

"Let's go Ren! We're going to the Western Air Temple!" I yelled to her, and she jumped up in excitement, sensing we were going flying. A moment later, we took off, flying towards our destiny.

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We had flown all day and we were getting into the night again: my second night away from Nori. I have to say, being on the run is so much better than being afraid for your life every time you disagreed with her. Ren and I could continue flying throughout the night if we wanted. Even though platypus dragons don't have night vision, they can "see" with their fire bending. But I decided to touch down after we reached land on a cliff on the other side of the small sea we crossed. I didn't want to tire Ren out too much, especially since she's been flying all day. At least I was able to get a snack on the fly. She'll be fishing all morning, but for now, we both slept. And I had my reoccurring dream.

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"Here you go Akira! This was my mother's necklace, then she gave it to me. Now it's yours!" said Mom excitedly as she handed me a dark red ribbon necklace with a lighter red pendant. On the pendent were the engraved words: Truth, Courage, Destiny.

Dad put his arm around Mom's shoulder as they watched me fumble with putting the overly large necklace over my head.

"She'll grow into it," said Dad, filled with pride.

Then we heard the crashes from out in the village, and the screams of our neighbors. Then the man who lived next door burst through our doorway, yelling to my parents that Earth Kingdom soldiers were attacking. Mom and Dad yelled for me to stay in the house, but, being a naïve child, I ran out the door. The last thing I ever saw of them was their silhouettes running off into the fray.

"Momma! Daddy!" I cried.

* * *

I woke up with a scream.

That last day with them, that's my only memory of my parents, and it's bitter sweet. How could such an awful day have such a great beginning? That day I lost my parents, but that was the day my mom gave me the one thing I could remember them by. That necklace was still around my neck, because I never took it off. I probed at it with my fingers, rubbing the back of the pendant that has one more word on it. In large print, the word said: Love. I ran my fingers along the grooves of the carving, feeling the words engraved in it, feeling their meaning.

"I love you Mom. I love you Dad," I whispered to myself. Then I realized it was morning. "Time to go, Ren!" I called, and like clockwork, she came flying up from the sea bellow. She must have been able to catch a lot of fish, I thought, considering how energetic she is.

We flew faster that morning, and within a few hours, I could see the cliffs that Roku took me to in my vision. And there below them, or shall I say on them, were the beautiful buildings.

"The Western Air Temple."

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**(A/N) Okay, Akira is about to meet the Gaang. However, their first introductions are less than... stellar. Let's just say, it's going to be a bit of a rough ride for our young firebender. Stay tuned to see our hero meeting her new team!**


	4. Unexpected Introductions

**(A/N) Time for chapter 4! Oh, and guys, I really do appreciate reviews. I know, there are some people that read without reviewing, but every comment is appreciated to the tenth degree. And yesterday, one reader messaged me and brought a good point to mind. If you're reading and see Akira describing the colors of scenes around her, that was a mistake. She can "see" shapes and the size of objects nearly as well as you can from actually seeing, but cannot see colors. All right, on to the story!**

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_**Chapter 4 Unexpected Introductions**_

We were approaching the temple, about to land, when I realized something.

"Where is everybody?" I thought out loud. Then a rope of water whipped out, hitting Ren.

"Ren!" I shrieked, and I heard her cry out. Then the water whipped back and tied itself around us. It yanked us towards the cliff. "What's happening?!" I screamed. Suddenly, the cave was rushing in at us, going so fast I couldn't tell left from right, up from down. We crashed down on the floor of the temple, skidding to a stop. I heard Ren bellow in agony. I looked over my should to see her trying to get up, but failing. There was a large gash on her belly. I made to get up and run to her, but then Ren and I were both encased in earth.

"Who are you and why are you here?!" yelled a stern girl with long hair. But I could barely hear her out of my fear for Ren. I knew she was badly hurt.

"Please! You have to let me help her," I yelled to them. I struggled futilely against the rock binding me, desperate as the weak energy came off of Ren in waves. Around me, others approached, making my resistance even more frantic for a moment. I could feel the presence of the others: a young bald boy, a shorter girl, a young man with a pony tail who was weilding a boomerang, and a taller boy with shaggy hair. Farther off were three boys. There was also a small lemur and an enormous animal that seemed to be a bison. The girl who had yelled at me didn't even turn to Ren.

"Who are you?! We know you're Fire Nation by the way you're dressed!" the girl yelled again. Yeah, I was wearing the clothes I'd been wearing for the last year, which is why I know the color of them. A long sleeved black shirt and a red tunic that had a gold colored ribbon belt. I was also wearing tan khakis and red shoes. Not to mention my red necklace. Very Fire Nation.

"Please, you have to help my friend! She's hurt! What if it were them?" I yelled, pointing my gaze toward the bison and lemur. Then the bald boy spoke.

"Katara, help her," he said, his voice kind. I felt hot anger pouring off of the girl. Then she turned and, with some aggression in her walk, went to Ren. "Katara's a healer. Your platypus dragon will be fine," said the boy, now talking to me.

"Who are you?" said the smaller girl.

"My name's Akira. My platypus dragon's name is Ren," I began slowly, but thought it would be best to just get straight to the point. "Avatar Roku sent me here. I had a vision where he told me I needed to come here and help you guys win the war."

I probably sounded like a crazy idiotic nutcase at the moment, a thought confirmed a moment later.

"Yeah right!" said the girl, named Katara, now returning. "You're Fire Nation! Why would you want to help us?"

"Katara, you forget I'm Fire Nation," said the shaggy-haired boy.

"Yeah, whatever, Zuko," she said. Wow, I thought, Prince Zuko is here? That explains his recent absence. "We can't trust you!" Katara yelled at me.

"Trust?!" I screamed back at her, tears beginning to well in my eyes. I don't know why, but this really infuriated me. I had expected something like this, but I still became angry and upset. "Maybe this will help you trust me!" I said, pulling my arms free from the rock binding, and rolling up my sleeves. Everyone gasped when they saw the burn scars running up and down my arms.

"What happened?" asked the boy with the boomerang.

"I've always opposed Ozai's rule. I would speak out against it at school, only to be attacked by the older students."

"Why didn't your parents put a stop to it?" asked the smaller girl.

"I lived in foster care with a woman named Nori who couldn't care less," I told them. "That's how it is where I come from. You either learn to stay quiet, or you get burned. I just didn't learn to keep my mouth shut fast enough."

The bald boy stepped forward. "I'm so sorry this happened to you," he said. "This is Katara, Toph, Zuko, Sokka, Haru, The Duke, Teo, Appa, Momo, and I'm Aang." Wow, that was a mouthful! I thought. Then they released me from the earth binding, and I immediately ran to Ren. Katara had healed the gash, but it seemed like she still was unable to get up. I stroked the fur over her head, working to calm her down.

"It's all right, Ren," I whispered to her, running my hands through the soft fur. "You're okay."

"Wait a second!" yelled Toph. Everyone turned to her except me. "You're blind!"

"How did you know?" I asked her curiously.

"I'm blind, too. I recognized the ever-so-slight hesitation when you're walking," she replied.

"Yeah, I'm blind," I begin. "It has no effect on me, though. I see with my fire bending. I can sense the electrical signals and energy everything gives off. Ren and her mother taught me," I told them.

"Badger moles taught me to feel vibrations in the earth, so I can see," said Toph. I smiled at this. It was something that connected us. We were somewhat like each other, in this regard. Of course, Katara didn't feel the same way.

"Good for you," I heard Katara say bitterly. I could tell she didn't trust me at all. I knew that she would not make it easy for me here.

* * *

The next morning we woke up to find Zuko and Sokka gone.

"Look, they left a note," said Aang. Then he began to read. "Need meat. Gone fishing, be back in a couple of days. Love, Sokka."

"They took the hot air balloon," said Katara. The way Katara rolled her eyes at this, I could tell she wasn't happy at all. The way she acted towards Zuko suggested she trusted him even less than me. I spent that first full day with the gang tending to Ren.

"Sorry about the rough landing, Akira," Aang apologized.

"It's okay," I reassured him. "I just hope that, for the sake of the next person that happens to show up, you guys either pull them in slower or find a soft place for them to land on!" I said sarcastically, and Aang and Toph laughed, joyously and with their entire bodies.

Overall, it was a good first day. Toph and I became fast friends, given we were both blind. She told me about her experience with the badger moles, something I litened to with a keen ear. I told her about my meeting with Ren and Naomi, how Naomi taught me to sense energy. I showed Aang my fire bending techniques, which included the fire whip, a flaming vortex, and catching and redirecting fire, just to name a few. There were many more, given I was a master.

"Hey, is there a nearby body of water? I need to catch Ren some fish, since she's still a bit sore and can't catch her own." I told Aang after my demonstration.

"Yeah, there's a big river at the bottom of this canyon," he replied. "I'll take you on Appa! With a water bender around you'll be more likely to catch plenty of fish."

"Thanks, I really appreciate it," I told him, climbing up on Appa with him. I felt the beast rumble beneath me, his emotions seeming to swirl with delight at the prospect of a ride. It reminded me of the way Ren's excitement would spike before a ride, and it made me smile.

"Hey Katara!" Aang called to the girl. She looked up grumpily from where she was sitting by the fountain. "Do you want to go fishing with us?"

"No thanks," she said, getting up and walking away. Aang shrugged and we took off. When we got down to the river, I stopped Aang before he got off.

"Aang, why doesn't Katara like me? You guys all seem to trust me, but she looks like she wants to throw me right off the cliff!" I exclaimed. Aang sighed.

"She doesn't trust the Fire Nation. She doesn't trust anyone from the Fire Nation."

"But I'm not with Ozai. She should trust me!" I said in frustration.

"It's not really my place to tell you. She's going to have to tell you."

After that, we didn't talk about it. We fished for a few hours and caught seven huge catfish for Ren. Then we fooled around and fought each other for practice. It was a lot of fun. I would listen to the sizzle of steam as his water connected with my fire blasts. We went home that night with smiles on our faces.

The others were having dinner already, and when we sat down, the atmosphere was dark and angry. The negative energy was coming from Katara. She was even more angry than earlier, and she kept shooting looks of disgust at me. Then she began to speak.

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**(A/N) Yeah, chapter 4 is up! Please review, tell me what you think. Love it? Hate it?**

**Review or be hunted down and eaten by my ferocious man-eating Chihuahua! Readers for my other stories have seen her power, and if you're smart, you will review! If you don't, then I seriously hope your a light sleeper... (she's a night hunter)**


	5. Clearing the Air

**(A/N) Thanks for the reviews! Time for chapter 5!**

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_**Chapter 5 Clearing the Air**_

"Zuko thinks I can just trust him right away," Katara said angrily.

"Why don't you trust him? He's clearly on your side," I said to her, and she looked up at me, her eyes narrowed. I couldn't understand why she was putting herself through this. How can she not trust the person who left his family to train the Avatar? However, just as the question formed in my mind, Katara answered it.

"We were imprisoned together in Ba Sing Sei. I was the first one to trust him there. Then he betrayed us and attacked Aang!" she yelled.

"You don't know what he's been through. His mother disappeared years ago. He was banished by his own father. The only way for him to stop being constantly on the run and be able to go home was to bring his father Aang. You don't know what he's been through," I said, then looked down in sadness. I don't bother to tell them I could basically read emotions, and Zuko seemed peaceful and happy to be here, based off of the energy he gave off in the time he's been here.

"How dare you! You have no idea what this war has put me through! The Fire Nation killed my mother!" she yelled at me. "But you just don't understand that, being Fire Nation scum!" Okay, that did it. I turned my head her way, looking into what I knew were her eyes, although I could only detect small grooves. My eyes were glistening with tears, but they were strong and fierce. And I knew Katara's were hardened by anger.

"You don't know what your talking about!" I yell at her. "Earth Kingdom soldiers attacked my village when I was three! Even though my village strongly opposed Ozai, they still attacked us and they killed my parents! You lost your mother, but that day I lost everything I had in the world!" I was screaming now.

She looked down. "I-" she began, but I stopped her.

"You have the nerve to talk about your family being destroyed!? I barely remember my parents! After they were killed, those soldiers kidnapped me and, after finding no use for me, were about to kill me. Then Ren's mother, Naomi, saved me."

"I-I uh-" Katara said again, but I once again cut her off.

"After Naomi was killed by a boar-q-pine, we were found and brought to a town that adores Ozai! I was put in foster care with a woman who did it just to get money from the government!"

"I didn't know," whispered Katara. The others were staring at us.

"No, you didn't! You have the nerve to be angry at me. You have a family! Your brother, your tribe, your grangran!" I screamed, remembering what Aang and Toph had told me about Katara's and Sokka's family. "I had no one! For me, every day of my life I would wake up wondering if I would have a new scar by nightfall. And I often did!"

"I didn't-" Katara began.

"Everyday, my foster mother would beat me, burn me, and verbally abuse me! Every night I would be terrified of the dream that always came of my parents giving me this necklace, the one thing I have left of them, and then they run into battle and die! I was terrified to wake up every morning, because then I would have to face it all over again! But I got through it by telling myself that I was another day closer to being thirteen, when I would run away and finally escape it all! I had no one growing up! Every friend I ever had eventually turned on me, stopped caring, except for Ren. But you know what? Ren was enough to get me through until I left." There was now a heavy stream of tears running down my face.

"Why are you telling me all this?" asked Katara.

"You can't go on thinking that the Fire Nation people are the only ones causing grief. Your nations aren't the only ones who have been affected by the war." I said, then paused for a moment. "I have to go," I told them, turning on my heals and running into the maze of halls.

"Maybe I never should have come here," I whispered to myself as I ran away.

* * *

"What have I done?" Katara said to herself. "What is wrong with me?!"

"Katara, you didn't know," said Aang trying to calm her down.

"Exactly, I didn't know. I assumed, and that was a horrible thing to do. I've hurt her. We have to go find her!" Katara said, running in the direction Akira went.

"Hey geniuses!" called Toph. "Look what Ren's up to."

Ren had begun pulling herself up so she could follow her friend. The platypus dragon began dragging herself away.

"Akira told me that Ren, because she's part dragon, has a really good sense of smell!" exclaimed Toph. "Come on! Ren will lead us to her!" And the three ran after Ren, followed closely by the flying Momo.

* * *

I ran down the corridors blindly. It was killing me, all the horrors of my past. And now they've come back to the surface, trying to break me down. I sounded crazy as the wracking sobs hit me, and my whole body began to shake with grief. It seemed like for my entire life, wherever I went, I never truly belonged. Everyone would reject me. Would I never have anyone but Ren for the rest of my life? Ren was my best friend and if it hadn't been for her, I wouldn't have kept going through all those years of torture. I needed more than just her, though. I needed people.

I found myself racing through the great hallways, then into a small room. I collapsed into the corner by the window, curled my legs up and buried my face into my knees. I hugged my legs with a vice-like grip, as if I were trying to get a hold of what was happening, because I truly didn't know. I was disoriented, and so I didn't sense what was in the other far corner of the room. I heard the unmistakable sound of crinkling paper, and my eyes widened in fear. The atmosphere was soaked with a sinister energy. Masked in the night's shadows stood a Fire Nation man, unrolling a scroll.

"I assume you're the girl on this wanted poster," the man began with a sinister voice. "Well, well. You're a bit far from home aren't you, Akira?" asked the man as a cruel smile slipped onto his lips.

"I have no home. But I must say, I am quite surprised that Nori bothered to tell anyone I was gone. I thought she would be glad to get rid of me." I knew the situation probably didn't call for a smart attitude, but it helped to hide the wave of fear washing through me.

"Oh she was worried sick, but she told us that when you were brought home, she would make sure you knew to never run away again," he told me. Yeah, I thought, she'll beat and burn me then keep me hostage so she could get her government check every month! Still, I winced at the man's words.

"Don't you want to go home? That place is all you have."

"I have nothing there!" I screamed at him, and suddenly he lunged for me. I jumped high over him, then raced for the window.

I leaped from the edge and ran down the ledges, as the man raced after me in hot pursuit. I ran around the corners as he blasted fire at me. I dodged every blast and kept sprinting. I rounded one last corner, only to find that the ledge was a dead end. And below me were only a few vines, then what would be a perilous fall to my death. I turned to see the man running full force at me. He threw his hand in my direction, and then flames blew forth from his clenched fist. I let out a sharp cry as I fell from the cliff side.

* * *

**(A/N) Wow, Katara was really mean in this chapter. Katara is one of my favorite characters, simply because of her strong personality and courageous and hopeful attitude. However, for some reason, she's the only character I can imagine saying something like that to Akira just because she's from the Fire Nation. Weird. And Akira, she seems pretty sorry for herself. Then again, aren't we all at certain points? We have just witnessed her breaking point. Then, of course, there's a bounty hunter (whatever they're called) that comes and blasts her off the cliff. What a fun day that would be. Just think if that were you! Emotional break down, then a vicious attack.**

**My Chihuahua has been satisfied with your comments, but beware the evil eye of the Mexican pee-wee dog! She has a death stare that will freeze your blood! (Not joking, she practices it on me every day) Beware! Beware... BYE!**


	6. New Friends, New Feelings

**(A/N) Okay, back to our little cliff hanger! Yes, a true ****_cliff_**** hanger! Read to find out what fate befalls our beloved heroine!**

* * *

_**Chapter 6: New Friends, New Feelings**_

Below I held on to the vines for my life as I cringed with the searing pain that exploded through my left leg. I peered down at my leg, sensing the energy and heat of the fire. The bottom of my pants were scorched and the edges of the material was glowing orange. And then there was the enormous red burn that covered the flesh. My stomach churned, and I turned my head back to the top of the ledge. The man was staring down at me.

"Are you ready to come with me now?" he asked with the same sinister voice.

"No," I told him with as much force as I could muster, given the circumstances.

The smile he had on left his face, and he threw back his arms, about to create a tremendous blast that was sure to knock me off the cliff side. I turned away, closed my eyes, and waited for death to come. I would not give that man the pleasure of hearing me cry out, so I clamped my jaw tight. So, I thought, this is how I would die. At the hand of a fire bender as I hang here helplessly. No friends with me. I would die alone, without even Ren. I waited for the flames to come down at me, but instead I heard a blast of water. I looked up and saw the man, now soaking wet, loose his balance from the water blast and stumble towards the cliff's edge. The next second, I heard his piercing scream as he fell to what I had thought would be my own death. Then there were the faces of everyone around me, as Haru and Aang pulled me up. I crawled over onto the ledge and just laid there, on my back, huffing. Then everyone was hugging me. Ren licked my face, and my eyes brightened with joy.

"I'm so sorry, Akira. Can you forgive me?" asked Katara.

"Of course," I told her, then winced as my leg made contact with the rocky ledge.

"Are you okay?" asked Teo. There was a positive energy in his eyes that I assumed was because nothing had happened to me. I smiled.

"Yeah, but it really hurts," I told them in reply, wincing at the sizzling pain of the wound. Katara began to heal the burn, then Haru and Aang carried me back to the fountain in the common area, where I let my leg hang limply in the cool water. And, for the first time since my parents died, I could tell that there were people that actually cared about me. And I liked it.

* * *

The next day, Sokka and Zuko returned. Except they didn't come back in the war balloon. It was a fully armored airship. Ten times bigger than the war balloon. It touched down on a large open area of the temple.

"What are you doing in this thing? Where's the war balloon?" asked Katara in awe when Sokka and Zuko approached.

"It kind of got destroyed," answered Zuko.

"Sounds like a crazy fishing trip," said Aang.

"I'll say," I said.

"Did you at least get some good meat?" asked Toph.

"I did. The best meat of all: the meat of friendship and fatherhood," replied Sokka. Then there was movement at the door of the airship. Out came a girl about Sokka's age, a man with a pony tail like Sokka's, and another, larger man.

"I'm new. What's up everybody?" said the large man, smiling and waving.

"Dad!" exclaimed Katara, running up to her father, the man with the pony tail.

"Hi Katara," he said as they embraced, love filling his voice.

"Akira, this is Suki and Hakoda. And everyone meet Jit Sang," said Zuko.

"How are you here?!" asked Katara to her father. "What is going on?" she said, turning to Sokka. "Where did you go?"

"We kind of went to a Fire Nation prison," replied Sokka, and Katara pulled him into a family hug.

"Seriously, you guys didn't find any meat?" asked Toph.

* * *

The next day was uncomfortable at best. My leg constantly throbbed against the bandages tightly bound over the wound. Each beat of my heart sent a new shot of pain through my leg. I had been burned before, of course, many times actually, but this one was one of the worst. Even with Katara's frequent healing sessions, it hurt a lot. At least Ren was feeling better. That morning I had witnessed her fly back up from the river below, four large catfish poking out from her bill. I was sitting at the fountain, watching the water flow as the piebald hermit crabs crawled across the ledge of the fountain. I picked it up to admire the creature, the way the shell swirled up to the top in a spiraling point.

"Beautiful, isn't it?" came a voice. I whipped around before realizing it was Teo. He was rolling up to me in his wheelchair. "We have these crabs at the Northern Air Temple, where my father and I lived before the Day of Black Sun."

"You lived in one of the temples?" I asked with interest.

"Yeah. When a flood destroyed our village when I was little, my mother was killed and I got hurt. That's why I'm in this wheelchair. The entire village traveled for a long time, until we found the temple."

"Wow," I said, then there was silence for a few minutes. "Do you want to go through the halls with me? I hate sitting here all day. It makes me a bit stir-crazy," I said with a laugh. He smiled, and his eyes brightened.

"Sure," he said, and we got up and began to work our way through the maze of hallways.

"How did the Air Nomads remember where everything was? I bet they got lost on the way to the bathroom!" I exclaimed, and we both laughed. We leisurely strolled through the hallways that were warm with the summer sun. We stopped and looked through the windows.

"I wish I could see the colors of dawn, sunset, and twilight. I am thankful, though, that I can feel the warmth of the sun and the light of the new day." I turned to Teo. "You know, I don't quite get you. I've never seen such spirit in someone who-" I couldn't finish the sentence.

"Someone who can't walk? It's okay, you can say it. That's just it. It's because I can't walk that I feel so spirited," he said.

"I'm not following," I told him.

"People, when they first meet me, think I can't do a lot of things because I can't walk. But I can, and so I show them, and I have so much fun with it too!" He laughed as he spoke.

"I didn't try to show people back where I lived that I could fire bend really well. I showed myself out in the woods everyday as I practiced. I never let on that I wasn't helpless just because I was blind."

"Was it really as bad for you where you lived as you told Katara?" Teo asked with a gentle voice.

"Sometimes not quite so bad. Other times were even worse. On a few occasions I actually thought I would be killed." I told him as one particular memory surfaced. I guess I should tell him, I thought. It'll be good to talk about it. "Back in the town, the schools were very cruel. Not the teachers though, but the students. The younger ones- those from five to ten mostly- were very sweet and kind. But the older ones- those who were fourteen to seventeen- were vile. There weren't that many in between. One day, I was angry about the teacher going on and on about how we owe so much to Firelord Ozai, and that by fighting the war, we spread our greatness with the world. I knew it was lies, and I was venting to myself quietly about it at recess. Not quietly enough, though. Suddenly a fifteen-year-old grabbed me, pinned me facedown on the ground and blasted fire at me, full blast. I probably would have been killed by it, if it hadn't been for a brave nine-year-old tackling him as he shot the flames at me. Most of the blast missed me, but I still got this," I said, turning and pulling my shirt up a bit to show him my lower back. The entire bottom half of my back was just a giant red scar.

"The world is cruel. I'm sorry," said Teo in a soothing voice. I turned back to him, and two tears flowed down my cheek.

"I got lucky, but the nine-year-old wasn't so fortunate. The older boy and his friend set to throwing blasts of fire at him. They killed him. I owe that young boy my life, and I never even found out his name."

Teo reached his hand up to my face, gently wiping my tears away.

"It's okay. It wasn't your fault. Life can be cruel, but I promise you it is worth it," he said.

Suddenly, I felt a weird, tickling feeling inside me. It was one I'd never let myself feel before. It was one I'd never wanted to feel, one that made me feel ashamed every time I thought about it. It made me feel lighter, like I was about to start flying. That feeling gripped me hard as Teo's hand cupped my face. I couldn't really see him, but I was sure his cheeks had reddened slightly. This boy, who I had only just had one real conversation with, was doing this to me. His hand left me cheek, but as I turned to where I knew the sunset was, the feeling didn't go away.

I was about to walk back, when he grasped my hand, pulled me down gently towards him, and I leaned into him. Our lips touched in a long, meaningful kiss.

And it seemed like I really could see the sunset's fiery light.

* * *

**(A/N) Oh, yeah I thought this would go nicely into the story. Teo, out of all the side characters of the show, is probably my favorite. So, what'd you think? Love it? Hate it? Review me now!**


	7. A Rushed Exit

**(A/N) New chapter coming your way!**

* * *

_**Chapter 7: A Rushed Exit**_

"Aang, I want to show you something," I told him after breakfast. We went off to a ledge in the temple where we could practice in the open air. I made sure that the now-healed Ren was there to watch. I myself wasn't completely healed yet, but my burn was tightly bandaged.

"Why do you want Ren here?" Aang asked with curiosity.

"Ren's an even greater master than most people. And that's with no instruction. She's part dragon, so she has always been able to do the greatest forms of fire bending. She's the one that taught me," I told the boy.

"So are you a great master?" he asked.

"I was taught at home, but they kept me at a beginner's level because I was technically blind. Beyond the basics, I learned everything from Ren. However, like I said, she's a better teacher than most masters." It was early, he was tired, so he just looked at me curiously. "In short, that means that I am a master fire bender."

"So, what did you want to show me?" asked Aang.

"You may want to step back a bit," I told him, and he obediently did so. I stepped towards the ledge, took a deep breath, and made a flaming vortex above me. However, this vortex held every color of the rainbow. And more.

"The dragon harmony fire!" exclaimed Aang in awe.

"Yes. This is the most powerful form of fire bending. Even more powerful than lightning. But the most important thing about this colorful fire is to never use it against someone or in battle," I told him, and he stared at me in confusion.

"Why not? Isn't that why you're teaching me?" he asked.

"No. This fire is harmony. It's a beautiful thing, and is used as the ultimate form of energy. The energy in our bodies can't compare. So, we use this form to teach others about peace and balance. These flames that I have just produced have one sole purpose: to teach the true meaning about what fire bending really is."

"That's amazing!" said Aang.

"Ren! Why don't you show Aang some of your moves?" I called to Ren, who was up until this point relaxing in the sun.

Ren immediately jumped off the ledge and flew through the air, breathing out flames which she moved about in complete control. She flew straight through the flames by making a cup of fire around her body. She finished off her display by making a larger, more vibrantly colored version of my flaming vortex. Aang looked on in awe, for he had just seen the work of a very great master.

"Aang, I want to teach you one more thing. Close your eyes and hold out your hand," I said, and he immediately did so. I walked over to him and put my hand about an inch away from his. "Can you feel anything in your hand?"

"No," he replied.

"Feel what's around you without touching it," I told him.

"Wait! Yeah it's like a slight buzz!" Aang said with excitement.

"Good. That's the energy around you. Fire benders can sense this energy. By sensing this energy, you can make a mental map of what's all around you. You can tell the distance, size, and shape of every object without opening your eyes." I then blindfolded him and took him inside a room for him to practice. I also made him wear shoes so he couldn't use earth bending to feel vibrations.

"Ouch!" he yelled when he walked into a wall, but within twenty minutes, he seemed to be falling over or running into less objects.

"You're doing fine, Aang. This is how I learned," I told him.

"How old were you?" Aang asked.

"Three. But I learned it easily because fire is my original element. Yours is air. You won't get it as quickly as I did."

"Wait, I think I know what this is," said Aang, looking at a chair. "Is it a table?"

"Close."

"Wait, it's a chair!" he exclaimed.

"Very good Aang. Maybe you'll master this as fast as I did," I told him.

By supper time, Aang was able to sense the distance and size of all the objects, and was almost able to sense the shape of most of them. We sat down to eat and immediately Katara spoke up.

"Why are you covered in bruises, Aang?" she asked.

"Akira was teaching me her … What do you call it?" asked Aang, turning to me.

"In animals it's called electroreception," I told him. "I don't really have a better term for it. You can just call it sensing energy."

"Yeah, she was teaching me to sense energy, and I bumped into a lot of stuff," said Aang, rubbing his head in embarassment.

"How did he do?" asked Toph.

"A lot better than I expected. He's a natural," I told them.

I was starving, so I stuffed myself on the rice Katara cooked. I saw Ren quietly slip off to catch herself some fish that night before I fell asleep. Once again I had my nightmare where I watch my parents die. I wondered how a dream could start off so beautiful, with me getting my mother's necklace, and end so horribly. Maybe it's because that's how life is. The dream was just ending when I was bashed awake from the horrible sounds of explosions.

"What's happening," I yelled, but no one seemed to hear me in the ensuing explosions. Ren ran to my side in fear. Aang and Toph made shields to temporarily protect us from the explosions, but I knew it couldn't last long. The others started herding Appa towards an escape tunnel Toph and Haru made, but Appa wouldn't go.

"Zuko! What are you doing?!" yelled Aang when Zuko stayed to fight.

"You go. I think this is a family visit," he said.

"Zuko, no!" Aang yelled, and he tried to follow Zuko, but Katara and Sokka stopped him.

I couldn't hear what they were telling him, but they resumed pulling Appa towards the tunnel while Zuko ran towards the source of the explosions. I pulled Ren towards the tunnel.

"This isn't working! Appa hates going underground!" yelled Aang. Then Sokka said something as another blast came in.

"No! The Fire Nation can't separate our family again!" she yelled running up to her father.

I immediately realized what they were planning. We were going to split up. I ran to Teo, knowing we were about to be separated. Around Teo was a fearful yet strong aura.

"You have to go! Aang needs you to train him! We'll be okay!" he yelled over the repeated blasts.

"No! We only just got together!" I said, not wanting to leave him, but I knew I had no choice. Aang couldn't get Appa down the cave, so they had to fly out. I had to be where Aang was. We embraced for a moment, then shared a soft kiss.

"I'll see you again soon, I promise," I told Teo.

"It won't be for long this time. I swear," I heard Hakoda tell Katara behind me, and they hugged. The others ran down the tunnel, but I stayed. I took one last gaze towards Teo, feeling his presence and hanging onto it, then I ran over to Ren.

"We have to go straight through!" I said, mounting Ren.

"Um, there's a lot of fire in that general direction!" exclaimed Suki as they all hopped on Appa.

"We can make it!" said Aang, putting on a serious look, and he took off. Appa busted straight through the earth wall. I followed quickly behind on Ren.

Blasts of fire shot at us from huge airships, and Princess Azula was on top of one battling Zuko. They suddenly both shot flames at each other, both knocking the other clear off the airship. Appa dove and Katara caught Zuko as he fell through the air. It was a different story for Azula though. I looked back to see her falling. Falling, and falling, and falling. She plummeted through the air. Then, at the last second, she shot flames from her feet, which propelled her towards the cliff. The last thing I saw before we flew off into the clouds was her clutching the cliff wall. I flew up next to Appa.

"Wow! That was a close one! Does this happen to you guys often?" I called to them.

"You don't know the half of it!" replied Sokka in an exasperated tone. Then, a moment later, I heard Toph speak.

"Hey! I didn't know you had a thing with Teo!" yelled Toph with a smile, and I could feel the heat flooding my cheeks.

"Oh, you… uh, you saw that, huh?" I said, embarrassment filling my voice, then I pointed into the sky. "Hey, don't you think that cloud looks like a fluffy bunny?"

"Nice try, Akira! You can't see the clouds!" Toph exclaimed.

"Oh, good grief."

* * *

**(A/N) That's the new chapter! What'd you guys think? Let me know!**


	8. Training

**(A/N) Chapter 8 coming your way! Enjoy!**

* * *

_**Chapter 8: Training**_

That night at dinner, there was a toast to Zuko. Then Katara stormed off in anger. Zuko followed. I quietly got up and pretended to go to my tent, but I really followed them to the edge of the cliffs we were camping at. I hid behind one of the towering boulders as I listened to Katara yell at him.

"Oh! Everyone trusts you now!? I was the first to trust you back in Ba Sing Sei. Then you turned around and betrayed us! Betrayed all of us!" she yelled at him. Oh boy, this sounded like one of _those_ conversations, the ones Katara and Zuko sometimes had where they simply yelled at each other.

"How can I make it up to you?" he asked sincerely.

"Maybe you could reconquer Ba Sing Sei in the name of the Earth King. Or, maybe you could bring my mother back to me!" she yelled, getting in his face, and then she stormed off. I quietly left and went back to my tent before Zuko or Katara could see me. Soon I slipped into sleep, and yet again I had the nightmare. I lay there writhing in my sleep as I wail for my parents not to go. But the terror eventually subsided to quiet shock, then I am finally calm. This morning, instead of waking up to bombs, I woke up to Katara's voice.

"I need to borrow Appa," she said. I poked my head out to see her talking to Aang. Zuko was following close behind her. Well, I thought, this should be good! And I walked out of the tent.

"Why? Is it your turn to take a fieldtrip with Zuko?" asked Aang rhetorically.

"Yes, it is," she answered in complete seriousness.

"Oh. What's going on?" asked Aang.

"We're going to find the man who took my mother away from me!" she said, and Zuko continued.

"Sokka told me the story of what happened. I know who did it, and I'm going to help her find him."

"Um, and what exactly do you think this will accomplish?" asked Aang worriedly.

"I knew you wouldn't understand," said Katara, turning her back to him.

"Wait, stop! I do understand. You're feeling unbelievable rage and pain. How do you think I felt about the sand benders when they stole Appa? How do you think I felt about the Fire Nation when I found out what happened to my people?" said Aang, throwing his arms into the air.

"She needs this, Aang," said Zuko. "This is about getting closure, and justice."

"I don't think so. I thinks it's about getting revenge," replied Aang.

"Fine! Maybe it is! Maybe that's what I need! Maybe that's what he deserves," Katara said.

"Katara, you sound like Jet," said Aang, looking winded.

"It's not the same! Jet … He attacked the innocent. This man, he's a monster," she shot back.

"Katara, she was my mother, too," said Sokka. "But I think Aang might be right."

"Then you didn't love her the way I did!" she yelled at him.

"Katara!" Sokka said quietly, sounding wounded.

"The monks used to say that revenge is like a two-headed rat viper. While you watch your enemy go down, you're being poisoned yourself," Aang said with much wisdom.

"That's cute, but this isn't air temple preschool. It's the real world," shot Zuko.

"Who says the real word can't use wisdom," I added. "I would listen to Aang if I were you."

"Stay out of this, Akira," Katara hissed. "Now that I know he's out there, now that I know I can find him, I feel like I have no choice!"

"Katara, you do have a choice: forgiveness," said Aang.

"That's the same as doing nothing!" exclaimed Zuko.

"No it's not. It's easy to do nothing, but it's hard to forgive," he replied.

"It's not just hard. It's impossible," said Katara, walking away. I ran after her.

"Wait, Katara!" I yelled to her.

"You can't stop me!" she said to me, not turning to face me.

"I'm not trying to! Believe me, I know how you're feeling. But you need to know that you can always forgive someone. I forgave the Earth Kingdom soldiers who killed my parents and wiped out half the village!"

"Leave me alone," she told me, her voice dripping with venom.

"Katara, just take a step back and think about this," I told her.

"I have thought about it, plenty!" she yelled, then began walking again.

I yelled to her. "And you need to know that you're not alone. We've all been through hardships. I don't agree with what you're going to do, but I guess you need to go. You need to take this journey, if it means you can get through all of this to the end," I paused for a second, because she had stopped walking. "We're all here for you. We all care about you." And with that, I turned and went back to the others.

* * *

Katara and Zuko left that night, and the next morning, we all felt like the camp was empty without them. Breakfast was quiet.

"Hey, Sokka?" I said once I had finished eating.

"What's up, Akira?" he replied without much enthusiasm. I could tell he was upset about what his sister was doing.

"I noticed you have a sword," I said, which immediately got his attention. "I have one, but I never got a chance to learn from anyone. Do you think you could teach me?" A big smile spread across his face.

"Me? Of course I can, you'll be a master in no time," he told me, trying to sound cool.

"Okay, cool guy," I said. We went to the meadow next to the camp. That's when I felt his sheath.

"Is that a Piandou?" I asked him, recognizing the feel of the engraving of Piandou's sign on the sheath. He pulled out the sword with a swish. "Wow!"

"I trained with him recently. He helped me make this sword from a meteorite, so it's black," he told me.

"So what can you teach me?" I asked him.

"Well, one of the things he taught me was to be observant. In the battlefield, you only have an instant to take everything in, and you have to be ready," he said. I pulled out the sword, showing him the fine steel of the blade. Not a Piandou original, but still a great sword.

"What else?"

"You have to be creative, especially with your surroundings. Manipulate them to your advantage." He then hopped to the top of a boulder. "For example, fight from the high ground. Slash branches down on your opponent." Then Sokka turned towards the surroundings, trying to make himself look important. "And always be ready for a surprise. You never know when-"

Surprise, huh? As he continued his lecture, I quietly crawled to the top of the boulder, got up close to his ear, and said, "Hello?" very quietly. He jumped and turned around, slashing away at the spot where I would have been if I hadn't anticipated this and jumped to the ground.

"Wow! You are very vigilant Sokka! I'm impressed," I exclaimed in a mocking tone.

"You little …!" he screamed, the he was running after me. We clashed blades, all the while he was giving me tips and praises. It really was quite fun. We went on like this for a few hours, then we finally came to stop, huffing to catch our breath.

"Hey Sokka? You want to go for a ride on Ren?" I asked him, still panting.

"Sure! Can't be that different from riding on Appa, can it?" he asked, sprawled out on his back.

"You, my friend, are going to eat those words!" I exclaimed. Then I went to get Ren.

* * *

The ride started out like any other ride I've had on her. We skidded over the water, the ocean flying by us as Ren increased her speed. Sokka seemed unimpressed.

"I still don't see how this is different from Appa!" he said.

"I'm about to show you! Ren!" I called to her, and she looked back at us. "Ren! Under!" I commanded. I quickly told Sokka to take a deep breath.

"Why? What are we-" but he realized what would happen and sucked in a big breath. The next second, we were underneath the waves. Sokka and I opened our eyes to the cool sensation of the sea. Sokka was lucky, for he could enjoy all the vibrant colors around us. I, however, could only sense the shapes. I couldn't see color. The soothing cold felt nice against the burn on my leg, since it was still healing and in bandages. Ren swam rapidly underwater like this for a few moments, then we broke through to the surface.

"I stand corrected," said Sokka in awe.

* * *

**(A/N) How did I do? This one was a bit of a drag to write, but we get back into the action soon, so don't worry. Please review! I noticed I get plenty of views for the story, but not very many reviews. Remember, each and every review is appreciated more than you know.**

**Oh, and the vicious Chihuahua is back on the war path! So review, or else she sinks her tiny fangs into your behind!**


	9. Another Sunset

**Disclaimer: I do not own Avatar the Last Airbender... yet! One day, I will! But for now, I don't own ATLA. I do, however, own the plot and the OCs in this.**

* * *

_**Chapter 9: Another Sunset**_

Soon Katara and Zuko came back. Zuko was normal, but Katara seemed a bit depressed. I found out from Aang that she had pulled back at the last second, sparing the life of the man who killed her and Sokka's mother. I was proud of her for the decision. Katara moped around for a bit, but eventually she got back into the swing of things.

After Katara and Zuko returned, everything basically went back to normal. Or as normal as things could be in our little group. For a couple days, we spent our time fishing, hanging around, and sleeping. Except for Aang. Zuko and I had Aang practicing practically every minute. When I wasn't teaching him about sensing energy, Sokka was helping me practice with my sword. Aang even gave me his sword handle that he got at a weapon's shop, and I bended a flame out of it like a blade to make a fire sword. At breakfast the third morning, Zuko and Aang made a announcement.

"Zuko has told me about a safe place to hide from the Firelord, a place where he won't find us," began Aang.

"It's our beach house on Ember Island. We used to go there all the time when my sister and I were little, but we haven't been there for several years," continued Zuko.

"That sounds a little weird, us hiding from the Firelord in his actual house. C'mon, I'm not the only one who thinks that's a little weird, am I?" I asked.

"It's the last place anybody would think to look for us," Zuko reassured us.

"Okay, then let's go!" exclaimed Sokka.

Toph walked beside me as we got up to go pack our meager belongings.

"So, what's he talking about?" Toph asked me.

"I've never seen it, but my classmates have, the ones who go on regular trips to Ember Island. The island is where most of the rich people go to the beach for their vacations. The Firelord has a house there, but no one's seen anyone in it for years," I told her. "The beach around the area is blocked for the most part from the public."

"Well, that seems fun! A beach!" said Toph sarcastically. "Another fun flight on Appa. Woo-hoo!"

We packed our stuff onto the saddles, and took off immediately. As soon as we started flying over Fire Nation waters, Aang and Katara created a cloud cover for us, and I had to fly Ren closer to Appa so we wouldn't be seen. When we approached Ember Island, we switched from a cloud cover to a full fog cover. No one around us could see their hands in front of them, so thick was the fog. With that cover, no one spotted us, and we touched down in the tiled back yard of the Firelord's beach house.

"Well, that went smoothly!" I said as I dismounted. However, I had to admit, Toph did look a bit green. The others hopped off Appa. Then, for the first time since I joined the group, Momo decided to land on my shoulder.

"Looks like Momo likes you!" exclaimed Aang. Zuko just huffed. I could tell he thought everything was a waste of time.

"Okay, Aang! Put on your shoes and blindfold! It's time to train!" I yelled to him. He sighed and went to work.

"Wait! I have to train him! He needs to be tested on his form!" protested Zuko.

"Don't worry, Zuko," I reassured him. "Aang's already been able to sense the fire I've shot at him. He will graduate today to practicing his forms and using his energy sensing to do it." Aang gulped when he heard this.

"Fun," he said sarcastically and went around with slightly less confidence. The others left the area so we could practice.

"Remember Aang, it's all about waiting so the information comes to you, then you attack," I lectured him.

"Gotcha," he said. "I'm ready!" he yelled with as much surety as he could muster.

Suddenly Zuko and I shot multiple fireballs at him, which he easily dodged and blocked, then he shot fire at us. I rocketed upwards, and blasted flames down upon him, but he "saw" it coming and took control of the flames, bending them back at me. I blocked it, and touched down back on the ground.

"Very good, Aang!" I praised, surprised at how well he'd done. It had taken me years before I was able to do that. Of course, I was much younger than him. "Aang, if you continue at the rate you're going, you'll be as good as me some day. I won't even bother to say you'll be as good as Ren because, well, no one could be better than a platypus dragon." Aang beamed.

We practiced for about another hour, then I left Aang to Zuko. I was deeply impressed by Aang's performance. It also disturbed me to think about how fast he was learning. I had always considered myself special with this particular skill. Still, Aang could only sense the more obvious stuff, and I could see the most subtle of things.

I walked over to the beach, and sat down in the gritty sand. It was getting towards sunset. I could tell because the air felt slightly cooler, and I could hear the mother birds singing their chicks lullabies.

"What are you doing out here?" asked a familiar voice from behind me. I had been so deeply mesmerized by the birdsong that I didn't feel Toph coming.

"Just thinking," I replied.

"What about?" she asked, sitting down next to me.

"I'm thinking about how much better it is here," I began. "Back home, nobody acknowledged my existence."

"Boy, I know how that feels," Toph said. She had told me about her hard life.

"At least you had parents who loved you. I never had anyone growing up. That's why I'm so glad to have you guys. You all really seem to care about me," I said.

"Are you okay?" she asked.

"I just really miss my parents. Sometimes I feel like if I close my eyes, then open them again, they'll be there in front of me. They'd say that they were waiting for me. But that won't happen. I'm just glad I'm here with you guys."

"Life can be hard, and it's not kind, but it will always give you a situation where you are the one to make it work or not," Toph went on. We didn't talk for a few minutes after that.

"Toph? Do you ever wish you could see the sunset? Just once," I asked.

"Everyday of my life I've wished that."

"It's like looking into nothingness," I continued.

"At least we're not helpless. We really can see. Sort of." I smiled, feeling happy I had a friend I could talk to who really understood what I was feeling, because she felt it too. Toph punched me lightly on the shoulder, a gesture that was similar to an affectionate hug. I punched her right back.

* * *

**(A/N) Okay, that would be chapter 9. More is one the way, and the next chapters are the Sozin's Comet chapters! Yay! So close to the end, hang in there now!**


	10. A Forgotten Plan

**(A/N) Okay, so I have officially omitted the Ember Island Players episode. It's not that I didn't like it, because I actually very much enjoyed that episode. I just didn't know how to write a play into this without the chapter dragging on forever. Sorry, but at least the Sozin's Comet episodes are finally here! Just a few more chapters to go!**

* * *

_**Chapter 10: A Forgotten Plan**_

We were taking a break from training a couple of days later, and we went to the beach, but I wasn't having much fun. I was very worried. The others were acting so carefree when Sozin's Comet was only a few days away. I couldn't understand why they weren't taking it all seriously! One second with Zuko told me he was feeling the same way as I was. Then suddenly a blast of fire destroyed Sokka's sculpture that was supposed to be Suki. I say supposed to be because it looked like whale shark taking a bath in seaweed.

"What the-!" I yelled in surprise. Then Zuko jumped out of nowhere and began to pursue Aang. They were running towards the house, and I ran closely behind them. "Zuko! What are you doing?!" I yelled, but he didn't stop.

Zuko chased Aang onto the roof, all the while blasting fireball after fireball at him. Then they both jumped through the window. Moments later there was a blast and crashing sound, and I looked up towards the window. Zuko was air-blasted through the window and into the surrounding trees. The others arrived as Zuko walked up and Aang jumped out the window and next to us.

"What's wrong with you?!" yelled Katara at Zuko. "You could've hurt Aang!"

"What's wrong with me? What's wrong with all of you?! Sozin's Comet is three days away and your having beach parties?!" Suddenly I was walking over to stand beside Zuko. I was with him on this one. The others all just stared at us.

"Why are you looking at me like I'm crazy?" asked Zuko.

"I was going to wait until after the comet to fight the Firelord," said Aang.

"What?" Zuko asked, looking incredulous.

"What do you mean?!" I yelled in horror. Everyone in the Fire Nation knew what was supposed to happen the day of Sozin's Comet. This was my worst fear.

"I'm not ready, I still need more time to master fire bending," replied Aang.

"And frankly, your earth bending could still use some more work, too," commented Toph.

"The point of facing Ozai before the comet was to stop the Fire Nation from winning the war, but they pretty much already won the war when they took Ba Sing Sei. Things can't get much worse," said Katara, looking down.

"You're wrong. It's about to get worse than you can even imagine," said Zuko. Then he began to tell the story that I already knew: the planned genocide of the Earth Kingdom. I walked away for this. I couldn't stand to hear of the plans my country had for the Earth Kingdom. I knew without a doubt they would go threw with it, for they had done the very same to the Air Nomads. They. I was proud to be a fire bender, and my first village had been honorable, so was the Fire Nation still my country? Somehow, I still hoped it was.

I returned to see Katara on her knees, and the others looking shaken. Aang was in a fury.

"You knew that you were supposed to do this before the comet came!" I yelled, furious that Aang dared to be angry with Zuko. "You just decided to go back on that!? You didn't think that evil tyrant would take advantage of a day of unbelievable power?!" I was screaming at them all.

"You have to do it, Aang. Or else there will be no one left to save," said Zuko.

I ran down the beach. I just couldn't believe what was happening. Not only were we not ready, but the others had no idea about all this in the first place. I had just assumed the plan was always to confront the Firelord before the comet came. And now, if we didn't win, everyone who wasn't Fire Nation would be killed. This wasn't war. It was slaughter. The Earth Kingdom was just one big slaughter house. And they didn't even know it. Suddenly, I sunk to my knees, and then the tears came rolling down my cheeks. I began to pound the soft sand below me. It began making small cuts on my fists, but I didn't stop. It was either pound the sand, or give everyone away by screaming and then the public hearing us. Then I felt the familiar warm brush of fur. Ren. It had been hard for her here, not being able to fly, for people would surely see her. She had to swim around in the water to catch her fish, instead of just diving from above. Much harder than it sounds.

"Hey girl," I whispered to the two-ton platypus dragon, a smile creeping onto my face.

"Hey, we thought you'd be down here," came Aang's voice from up the beach. Dang-it! That was twice I didn't notice someone coming. I could now feel that it wasn't just Aang. Everyone was there.

"I'm sorry for what I said up there, guys. I didn't mean it," I said to them. Katara came down and gave me a hug, and I returned it without question.

"We're going to be okay, Akira," she said to me.

"I'm not worried about us. I'm worried for the world. And I want to play my part in saving it," I said, straightening up. Ren came over and licked my face.

"We're glad you and Ren joined us, Akira. You've taught me so much," Aang told me.

"I just hope it will be enough," I said, looking down.

"Akira, there's one thing we'll need you to do the day of the comet," spoke Zuko. I looked up with immediate interest.

"What?" I asked in excitement.

"The generals of the Fire Nation showed me the path they will take through the Earth Kingdom when the comet comes," began Zuko. "There are three villages they will burn down before nearing Ba Sing Sei. We will most likely have stopped them before they reach Ba Sing Sei, but we need you to protect the villages," he said.

"I'll defend those people with my life!" I exclaimed, getting to my feet.

"We know you will," said Aang.

"Be sure to use the sword techniques I showed you," said Sokka with a smile.

* * *

**(A/N) This was the introduction to the Sozin's Comet episodes. Here, we find out what role Akira plays in the final battle.**


	11. The White Lotus

**(A/N) Sorry for the wait, I've had a lot to do lately, primarily school. Here's another chapter.**

* * *

_**Chapter 11: The White Lotus**_

The next morning I was ready to go almost immediately. I only had a few things to pack after all. I was about to mount Ren when the others noticed that one person was missing: Aang. We ran around frantically, calling his name, but with no answer.

I took up search on Ren, flying around the area, but even from an aerial point of view, Aang was gone. Then I saw the others gathering at the beach, so I brought Ren in for a landing. That's when I saw that they had fallowed footprints to the water's edge. They were Aang's.

"What's going on?" I asked when I ran up to them.

"Twinkle Toes and Momo are gone, and we're going to go looking for them," said Toph. Then everybody jumped onto Appa. I hopped back on Ren. We took off into the clouds. We flew for a couple hours in one direction, then I realized where we were going: the Earth Kingdom. Apparently, Sokka noticed, too.

"Zuko, I don't want to tell you how to do your job, but why are we heading toward the Earth Kingdom? There's no way Aang's there," he said.

"Just trust me," replied Zuko.

We touched down beside a questionable-looking pub. I could tell Katara didn't like this, because her energy seemed to be raised in anxiety.

"And the reason you've brought us to a seedy Earth Kingdom tavern is what now?" asked Katara as we walked through the doorway. Zuko pointed to a young woman at a table.

"June," he answered.

We watched as she blocked a thug attacking her, tripping him, then uses him as her footrest. Another one threw a punch at her, whish she dodges, then she sat back down.

"Oh yeah, that weird bounty hunter with the giant mole," said Sokka.

"Mole? Her skin is flawless," said Suki.

"No, she has this giant mole creature she rides around on," Sokka corrected.

"A shirshu. It's the only animal that can track Aang's scent anywhere in the world. It's the one shot we have of finding him," Zuko stated.

More thugs attacked June. She throws her drink in the air, fends them off, and catches her drink. Not a drop was spilt.

"I don't know who this June lady is, but I like her!" exclaimed Toph with a smile.

"Hey! I remember her! She helped you attack us!" exclaimed Sokka.

"Yep, back in the good old days," replied Zuko sarcastically. Zuko went up to her and asked for her help, but she refused.

"Hmm. Doesn't sound too fun," she said while sipping her tea. This infuriated Zuko.

"Does the end of the world sound fun?!" he yelled at her, which finally convinced her. She took us outside, bringing us to a strange creature with a lean body and odd nose. The shirshu sniffed Aang's staff, but it just walked in circles and laid down, it's paws covering it's nose.

"Your friend's gone gone, he doesn't exist," June tells us, and our jaws drop in shock.

"What do you mean he's gone?" asks Sokka. "Do you mean he's… you know … dead?"

"No, we could find him if he were dead. Wow, it's a real head-scratcher," she said. Then Zuko had an idea. He left and went to his bag, bringing back a disgusting-smelling sandal belonging to his uncle, Iroh. The shirshu, who was apparently named Nila, sniffed, and she shot away. I ran to Ren, and we all lifted off. We carefully followed June and Nila from above over forests, meadows, and a few rivers for about two hours. Then we flew past the rim of a wooded area and came upon the destroyed walls of Ba Sing Sei. We touched down before the piles of rubble.

"Your uncle's somewhere beyond the wall. Nila's getting twitchy so he can't be too far. Good luck!" she said and rode off.

We decided to camp there until the morning before going on. Toph made a few earth tents, but I decided to sleep next to Ren that night, looking up where most see the stars, but I see nothing. It wasn't long before I fell asleep in the warm embrace of Ren's soft furry body. Then the nightmare came again, like it had every night. I watched my parents run into a flaming pit of death.

"Momma! Daddy!" I cried in the dream, and of course, no one came to my rescue. Then something new happened, for I had never seen it in my nightmares. The flames in the village suddenly towered above me and I was engulfed in the blaze. Through the heat I knew there were airships that were the source of this fire. Then I laid down and let the fire burn me up.

I woke up with a gasp. Ren turned to me, touching my face with hers, and that's when I realized I was both trembling and sweating.

"I can't go back to sleep, Ren," I whispered to her, and she curled around me. I lay there, staring into the blank open sky for hours, until the wall of flames ascended skyward. Beside these flames stood four old men.

"Well, look who's here!" laughed the oldest of the men.

Katara and Sokka run to where these men stood excitedly, and give them formal bows.

"These are great masters and friends of ours!" exclaimed Katara to us all, bowing again to the man she seemed most excited to see. "Pakku!"

"It's customary to bow to an old master, but how about a hug for your new grandfather!" Pakku said, and Katara, beaming, ran up to him and hugged him. We got introduced to the others, then Sokka stood with his master, whom he said is Piandou.

"Piandou! It's an honor to meet you sir!" I bowed to him in respect. "Sokka has been teaching me a bit of what you've taught him!" Piandou looked at Sokka with pride, and we headed over the piles of rubble and near a camp while the men begin talking about them being members of a secret society called the White Lotus.

(A/N)


	12. A New Song

**(A/N) I've had so much homework this week, sorry it's been taking me so long to update. Here's the new chapter.**

* * *

_**Chapter 12: A New Song**_

After breakfast with Iroh, where everyone discussed where they would be when the comet came, I left for a walk on my own. Well, not exactly on my own. Ren walked beside me. We wondered outside the camp, but still within sight of it, and I sat down, gazing at the broken, fallen wall that once protected this great city. I sat there, thinking about what Ren and I would soon be doing. We have to protect three villages from a dozen airships without any help whatsoever. I could then feel someone approaching, and I knew it was Iroh long before he sat down with me.

"I can see that you have a lot on your mind," he told me. "Would you care to talk about it?"

I sighed. "I'm afraid. I don't know what's going to happen tomorrow. I'm scared I'll fail everyone. And I'm scared I won't come back," I confessed.

"You remind me of my son, Lu Ten. He was a very strong man, and he knew who he was. But he would also doubt himself,' said Iroh.

"But I don't know who I am. I'm still trying to figure it out," I said in confusion.

"No, you do know. You know who you are. That is why you're here. You found the Avatar, and you trained him. You are going into battle with you're best friend here," he said, stroking Ren, who groaned with pleasure. "You know who you are. That's why you are here. And when this is all over, your new friends will be waiting." This made me think of Teo. What happened to him and the others?

"You said Lu Ten would doubt himself. What did he do?" I asked.

"He would sing a song. A special song," he replied, then he began to sing:

"Leaves from the vine, falling so slow  
Like fragile, tiny shells, drifting in the foam.  
Little soldier boy, come marching home  
Brave soldier boy, comes marching home."

By the end of the song, tears were welling in both of our eyes.

"I love that song. And from what you tell me, I know Lu Ten was a brave man," I told the smiling Iroh. We both got up and shared a hug, and I knew he really did see his son in me. His son, the fallen soldier.

"Remember, Akira, we all doubt ourselves sometimes, but brave people do what their heart tells them is right, even though they are scared. Brave people, though they doubt themselves, keep moving. That is the meaning of bravery, and you are a brave girl," he told me, still smiling. Together, we walked back to camp. I repeated the song over and over in my head so it would stick. Tomorrow, when I got scared, I would sing that song to myself.

And I would be brave.

* * *

We decided to keep our goodbyes to ourselves that next morning. No one really had much to say, for the sky was already red with the light of the comet that had yet to come. Everyone just nodded at each other, and we took off. Katara and Zuko were on Appa. Sokka, Suki, and Toph were on a giant eel hound given to us by the White Lotus, and I took off on Ren. I knew I was still in sight of the camp as my friends as I took off, but I didn't look back.

Ren and I flew to the front of the first village, and I called the people out of their houses. The men, seeing I was Fire Nation, sent boulders flying at me, which I easily dodged.

"Stop! I'm on your side!" I yelled to them, and the men looked at each other with confusion.

"Why should we believe you?!" yelled one of them, ready to strike.

"You'll have to. Your lives are at stake. Dozens of Fire Nation airships are coming. It's the day of Sozin's Comet. These airships are going to fly over the land, burning everything to the ground. You have to retreat to the next village!" I told them with increasing urgency.

Suddenly, a very old man stepped forward, pushing past the line of younger men. "I believe you, for I know Sozin's Comet is arriving," said the elderly man, pointing to the sky. In the far distance, there was a large mass of energy, so large that I could sense it even at it's great distance, and my heart sank.

"Go! Those of you who are strong, go on foot. Those who are weak may ride Ren! When you get to the next village, tell them to retreat to the last village with you! Go!" I screamed, and then the men and women were running for their lives. The old man who had said he believed me, and an elderly woman I suspected to be his wife, climbed onto Ren. Both of them were carrying two toddlers each. The children were of people who knew they couldn't carry the children the whole way and make it.

"Go Ren. Take everyone across to the third village. When you're done, come back to me," I told my friend, giving her an embrace. I felt warmth and sadness flood out of both of us at the thought that this may be the last hug we share. It was a warmth that made it a special hug. Then Ren took off into the distance.

I turned around, back toward where I knew the flames would come. In the distance, I could feel the airships coming as the comet came closer. Then the wall of fire rained down from them, making me think back to my nightmares, and I began to sing:

"Leaves from the vine, falling so slow  
Like fragile, tiny shells, drifting in the foam.  
Little soldier boy, come marching home  
Brave soldier boy, comes marching home."

As the last notes of the song left my lips, the wall of fire burned ever closer.

* * *

"Zuko, I'm worried," said Katara, as they rode on the back of Appa.

"What is it?"

"It's Akira. She's facing the flames alone. The rest of us, we have someone else to watch our backs. She doesn't," said Katara with concern.

"Yes she does. She has a fire bender much greater than her or me with her: Ren. Besides, she's a great master herself. She can do this," said Zuko.

"I hope you're right," Katara said.

* * *

"Toph? Are you okay?" asked Sokka to the unusually downcast Toph as they tried not to fall off the eel hound's back into the water.

"Yeah, Toph, you seem stricken," agreed Suki.

"It's Akira. I'm thinking about whether she can do this on her own. What if she doesn't come back?" said Toph, deeply troubled by this. She had become good friends with the girl who was blind like her.

"She'll be okay, Toph," Sokka reassured her. "She's a fire bending master, she has an amazing fire bending platypus dragon, and I taught her to use the sword. She'll be okay. It's out of our hands now."

* * *

**(A/N) Sorry it's short, but this chapter was a bit harder to write. The chapters write before the battles are always shorter than regular ones, because it's like you're preparing. The next chapter should be longer.**


	13. The Dragon Master

**(A/N) This was probably the chapter I had the most fun writing. I hope you have just as much fun reading! Enjoy!**

* * *

_**Chapter 13: The Dragon Master**_

The flames were now coming down upon me, and with quiet agility, a rocketed into the air and made a dome of fire surrounding the village. I just had to buy time for the villagers to get to the next town and warn them. Then I would be able to get to the next village. However, the blaze was pushing back against me, and I couldn't keep the wall of flames up. In the next instant I was blasted into a tree.

I looked up from where I had landed, at the base of a large tree. Where the first branches began, about twenty feet high, there was a hole, a hollow in the tree. Out popped the round face of a sooty owl. I sensed terrible fear in the poor bird as she witnessed the flames burning down her home. She disappeared back into the hollow, then a moment later launched into the sky, a small owlet in her talons.

This made me realize something. This war isn't just for the people, but all of nature will suffer if the Fire Nation succeeds. Ren's first home would be gone. These animals' homes were burning to the ground in front of me. Even as these thoughts coursed through my mind, the hollow of the sooty owl was engulfed in the fire.

"I will never stop," I whispered to myself below the roar of flames, and rocketed back into the air. I made a fist and then a small fireball extended from it, which all of a sudden exploded into a blaze that shot through to one of the ships. A hole was cut through it, and the airship plummeted to Earth. Wow! Comet enhanced fire bending!

I found myself turning around, desperately searching for her, but I could not feel her presence anywhere.

"Where's Ren?!" I yelled in frustration. "She should be back by now!"

Ren was the fastest way for me to get to the next village. Without her, I would have to use rocket power, which was much slower. However, as the flames from the surviving airships approached me, I realized I would not have the luxury of a fast ride. I couldn't afford to wait. If I waited even one more minute, the next village would be destroyed with the people still inside it. So, with great disappointment, I rocketed upwards again. This time I flew over the forests. The great fires followed me closely behind, and I finally landed at the front of the next village. The villagers were filing out into the woods towards the third and last village. The terror in their faces as they ran gave me a new resolve, and I flew up into the inferno. I blocked as much of the flames as was possible. In the distance I could sense great blasts of flames as boulders and air currents sliced back at the man who shot the fire.

"Aang! You're back!" I yelled with delight. "Thank goodness." Then I turned back to the matter at hand, and began to fight the flames. Fighting fire with fire, I thought. That phrase now had a new meaning to me.

* * *

"It's Aang, he's back!" yelled Suki, Sokka, and Toph.

"Wow!" exclaimed Sokka. "Akira's really tearing up the flames here with her own fire!" he said, looking down at Akira's blasts of blazing flame and noting with satisfaction the annoyed looks of the fire benders.

"Sokka, come on! We have a mission!" yelled Suki with irritation.

* * *

"Ren!" I cried. "Where are you?!"

But there was no answer. How would I be able to hear her anyway with the blazing inferno surrounding me in all directions. I was now terrified that she had been killed in the flames. However, I turned my thoughts from this and let out the roar of a lifetime. The fire that shot forth came with the power and spirit that Ren taught me. I could actually feel her there in the flames. Like how many times she had blasted flames with the strength of ten suns, the wrath of the comet, the spirit of the birds, and the knowledge of the dragon. In that blast, three airships fell, and I knew that I was now fire bending like a true master. The dragon master.

"You taught me well, Ren," I said. But the inferno would not stop, and I became fearful that I might lose. I was giving it everything I had. I was standing my ground, and I kept going on, but it wasn't helping.

Then I remembered what Iroh told me. _"Remember, Akira, we all doubt ourselves sometimes. But brave people do what their heart tells them is right, even though they are scared. Brave people, though they doubt themselves, keep moving. That is the meaning of bravery. And you are a brave girl,"_ he had told me.

"I am not stopping!" I yelled, and I couldn't help but feel that I was brave. I flew into the air, straight up to the airships, and blasted away at them. Two fire benders fell from the airship, dead. I turned to repeat the attack, but I was hit with a blast myself. I could feel patches of my clothes singe and crumple, and I moved my arms to deflect the fire. I succeded in blocking most of it, but I was knocked straight down into the flaming trees. I tried to pick myself up, but when I moved my arm, a piercing cry escaped my lips, and I knew I was burned.

"My arm!" I spat out, grinding my teeth with the pain of my wounds. My arm was completely burned beginning to blister. I willed myself to ignore the excruciating pain as I moved my arm to continue the fight.

With a tremendous effort, I lifted off again and flew over the blazing forest to the third and final village. As I landed, I could feel the fear in the townspeople and they all fled to the edge of the forest.

"I thought Ren would be here," I whispered to myself as I looked around, not feeling Ren anywhere nearby. My heart sank. This must mean Ren died coming back to help me, killed by one of the fire blasts. I closed my eyes, clenching my fists as the tears started rolling down my face.

"No. No!" I screamed to the heavens, and jumped into the air, thrashing with all my might and skill at the airships, and I knew they were falling. They were certainly slowing down, and even their power in having many fire benders was no match against my horrible ferocity and pain. I roared, and an inferno spewed forth from my mouth, like a dragon master in unbelievable rage and sorrow.

Because that's what it was, what I was.

The blasts that extended from my fists blew forth across the sky with a brilliant and frightening beauty. The color of the flames was probably a dark red to match the rage and pain inside of me. I hoped they were red, because I don't think any other color would have matched well enough, though I was unable to see them. How could Ren be gone? Why would those Fire Nation soldiers take the life of an animal? How could I go on without my best friend and partner?

But this only strengthened my resolve. The Firelord would not succeed! As this thought coursed through my mind, the flames I blasted forth grew thicker, stronger.

It was all just too much, though. I couldn't do everything. The airships were speeding up again, and I was being forced backwards until I was inevitably shot down.

"I can't do it, I'm going to fail," I said to myself, full of despair as I looked up at the flaming sky from where I landed in the thick woods. At that moment, I swear I could hear a familiar roar. The high-pitched cry of my dearest friend. Maybe it was Ren's spirit trying to egg me on. Then I sat up, hearing the cry again. I wasn't imagining this!

"Ren!" There she was, flying above me, dodging the blasts being shot at her every second. She was giving the cry she always gave when she wanted me to fire bend with her. I obediently, and happily, rocketed up with her using my fire bending, a smile on my face. She flew in a circle around me, and I understood the move she wanted me to do.

"Gotcha! Let's do it!" I yelled, and together, we made a swirling length of flame. Upward the fire twisted, making it go tighter and tighter. Together, Ren and I made a vortex, a tornado of sorts. Then the length of fire coming from our bodies wasn't regular flame. It was colored. We were making the dragon harmony fire. It wasn't to be used as a weapon. We were making this harmony fire to give hope to the others who were fighting their own battles. And, it was to give a message to every fire bender in those airships: you too, can create harmony, if you keep peace.

Upward swirled every color of the rainbow and more: sea green, brown and gold, purple and silver, and the reds, yellows, and blues that you always wished you could see more in fire. The vibrancy and happiness of these flames was mesmerizing to all who could see it. In them you could see the power of the sun, the heart of a lion turtle, and the spirit of the birds as they dance in the wind. This was the first time in my life that I saw color. The energy I "saw" was colored, instead of the standard range of dull outlines. This was my dream.

But it came too late.

With one blast of fire from the airships, Ren plummeted to the ground, not moving. The colors of the vortex were gone, forgotten, and the dream was over. It was now a nightmare. What had started out as extravagant beauty, was now ragged and ugly.

Below me, Ren was laying on the ground, her body curled into the fetal position. She did not stir. Tears cut a trail through the ash and soot on my face. Her body had the dull, colorful glow. It looked like the harmony fire. She looked like her mother did, the day she gave her life for us.

"Ren! Noooo!" I screamed, then turned back to the inferno, and before I had even a chance to block, I was engulfed in the wall of fire. The heat seared into my right leg, until I could no longer feel it. It consumed me, burning and burning. A blood wrenching scream burst forth from my mouth, one that could be heard for miles. It was the worst pain I'd ever felt. Agony ripped through my body as I felt my body burning. The flames scorched over my body, and I fell to the Earth. My vision began to cloud with the searing agony, and I suddenly became very, very sleepy. I found myself fighting hardest just to stay awake. Around my stomach, a warmth seeped through the singed material of my clothes, a warm wetness. It was my blood, soaking my body from horrible wounds.

"I've failed," I whispered to myself. It was true, I had failed all the people.

I looked up at the sky and I knew the wall of fire was approaching me. I would be the first to die, then all of these people. But then, when I looked up, I didn't feel the burning of the flames, but the airships crashing to the ground. I guess Sokka's plan worked after all, I thought. Every single one of the airships was soon gone and I gave a weak smile. At least these people will live, I thought. The smile stayed on my face even as I fell into the mercy of unconsciousness.

Even as my eyes closed, I knew I would die.

* * *

**(A/N) Gotta love those cliffhangers!**

**I won't ask for reviews this time, but rather that you just enjoyed it, for those of you who are reading.**


	14. The Choice at the Tunnel

**(A/N) Second-to-last chapter here! We are approaching the end people!**

* * *

_**Chapter 14: The Choice at the Tunnel**_

"Akira!" screamed Katara as she saw her friend on the ground, unconscious. "Akira, no!" She left the injured Zuko on Appa and ran to the girl. Akira lay in a scorched crater just before the first houses of the third village began, a pool of blood soaking the ground around her.

Sokka, Toph, and Suki arrived on the eel hound. Sokka was using a small branch for a crutch to walk. Toph could feel her friend's weak heart beat as soon as her feet touched the ground, and ran up next to her, tears streaming down her face. Then Iroh and the others from the White Lotus came, riding several more eel hounds. The last to arrive was Aang. When he walked in on the scene, his heart sank. Besides the blood soaked clothes, the red burn on her arm, and the ghastly wound on her abdomen that exposed tender flesh, there was one major injury that caught everyone off guard. Akira's right leg was gone, completely burned off.

"You guys, she's hurt really bad!" said Katara in frustration as she repeatedly attempted to heal her.

"Come on Akira! You can make it!" said Toph frantically, sitting beside Katara.

"Come on, Akira, come on! Pull through!" chanted Sokka. Aang walked up to the injured soldier, and put his hand on her shoulder.

"You fought bravely, Akira. You are one brave, loyal, selfless girl," said Aang, tears running down his face. His expression betrayed him, showing his thoughts. In his mind, all Aang was thinking about was the very real possibility of Akira dying. She may be too far gone to save.

Then Aang noticed something else about the girl. "Look at how she's smiling," he whispered quietly, but everyone heard him. The corners of Akira's lips were turned up in a real smile, a genuine smile. The tears washed down Aang's face even harder.

Then Iroh walked up to where the girl lay, and took Aang's hand.

"Leaves from the vine, falling so slow," he began. Suddenly, from off to the side in an unnoticed corner, a certain platypus dragon twitched, then opened her eyes to see the sad commotion, and dragged her weak body to her fallen friend. Ren whined with anguish, coming up beside Akira's body.

"Like fragile, tiny shells, drifting in the foam," continued Aang. Then everyone joined in the song.

"Little soldier boy, come marching home  
Brave soldier boy, comes marching home."

It went on:

"Leaves from the vine, falling so slow  
Like fragile, tiny shells, drifting in the foam.  
Little soldier boy, come marching home  
Brave soldier boy, comes marching home."

* * *

The terrors of this world were horrible. The living world is a place without pity, and is merciful to no one. If you were faced with a choice like mine, which would you choose? I have to decide whether to go back to that painful, terrifying world, or go on to the peaceful, happy spirit world.

I see repeatedly the flames that devoured me. The houses that were burned to the ground. Ren falling to earth after she was shot down. Then I see the spirits beckoning me to go join them. I have to say, that's what I want to do. After all, my best friend, Ren, was gone, and who knew if any of the others had survived?

I began fallowing the voices of the spirits, and I felt a kind of bliss. That's when I realized, with a sudden shock, that I could see here. The beauty of the simplest colors amazed me as I looked every which way, trying to soak up this wonder while I still had it, but it dawned on me that, if I stayed with the spirits, it would last forever. I once again followed the spirits. I came to a tunnel, and I instinctively knew that if I crossed through the light at the end of it, I wouldn't have the choice of coming back. But it was calling to me so, and I desperately wanted to follow. Then I heard a sound that made me stop in my tracks.

"Leaves from the vine, falling so slow," came the sad voice of Iroh.

"Like fragile, tiny shells, drifting in the foam," continued Aang, in a voice that sounded like he was lost, so distant was it. Then what came astounded me. Everyone began singing:

"Little soldier boy, come marching home.  
Brave soldier boy, comes marching home."

They kept singing:

"Leaves from the vine, falling so slow  
Like fragile, tiny shells, drifting in the foam.  
Little soldier boy, come marching home,  
Brave soldier boy, comes marching home."

Tears glistened in my eyes as I heard the heart wrenching melody of all my friends singing at my death. A song that cried of despair.

Then came a call that I recognized as the mournful cry of Ren. It was the same call she sang the day her mother, Naomi, died. Her voice rose and fell with a sad and lonely beauty. In all my years with her, I've heard her sing to the heavens many times, but I've never heard her cry out like this. Like she was all alone in the world. Like she did not want to be a part of this world.

"Ren's alive," I said, looking down at where I was standing near the light of the tunnel, then I immediately turned around, and with great courage, ran straight back into the darkness of the abyss.

And I opened my eyes.

* * *

"Guys! She's alive!" yelled Katara, and from every direction came cheers and cries of joy, but the thing that made me the most happy was Ren's fur in my hair. She nuzzled my face, and then rested her head next mine, never pulling her warm fur from my bloodied, dirty skin.

"Hey," I greeted them all weakly. My friends all gathered around me, holding my hands and hugging me. Then I noticed that Katara was healing me. She was at my right leg, the one that was caught in the flames, working feverishly.

"You're going to be okay, Akira," said Toph.

"You saved all the people, Akira. Not one was lost. You're a hero," said Aang, but I wasn't listening to them. I was focused on an odd feeling, or should I say lack of feeling, in my right leg. Then I realized what had happened.

"Katara? What's wrong with my leg?" I asked her in fear, desperately hoping my suspicion was false. She turned to me with a pained expression. One look at her face, and I knew what she was going to tell me.

"Your right leg is gone up to the knee," she said. My already pale face turned an even lighter shade of white. "I've finally managed to stop the bleeding, but don't move. If you move at all, it could start bleeding again, and you've already lost a lot of blood."

Tears were streaming down my face, and I felt Toph clasping my shoulder. Ren licked my face. None of it helped, though. My leg was gone. How do you sidestep that? How would I run around with Ren? How would I rocket into the air? Would I ever walk again?

"No… please, Spirits, no," I whispered, feeling despair begin to consume me.

"Everything is going to be okay, Akira. You know that," said Sokka. I was scared, so I did what I promised myself I would do when I got scared.

"Leaves from the vine, falling so slow  
Like fragile, tiny shells, drifting in the foam.  
Little soldier boy, come marching home,  
Brave soldier boy, comes marching home."

I sang with as much strength as I could muster, then the darkness closed in on me again.

* * *

When I woke up, I was in a very nice Fire Nation room. This frightened me at first, but then I realized that the war was over. I looked around the room, and was surprised to find Ren in there with me. She was laying beside the enormous bed, curled into a ball. I draped my hand over the bed and stroked her fur, and noticed that she had bandages along her back. Then I noticed that I was also wearing bandages. Not only on my leg, but also all along my burned arm and they virtually covered my abdomen and back. I lifted the covers and, with much pain in my stomach, swung my leg over the side of the bed.

I got the shock of a lifetime when I realized there was a contraption on what was left of my leg, and I recognized that it was supposed to serve as my leg. It was a curved metal and wooden device. Besides the new leg, I also had on a new pair of khakis, as well as a new tunic and shirt. However, it was the prosthetic that captured my wavering stare. I got up to walk on it, only to trip and fall back on the bed, wincing and groaning in pain. There was a crutch next to the bed, so I used that to help me walk with my new leg. I would use the crutch until I had mastered walking with this strange metal leg, I realized.

I my silk belt around my waste gently, put my hair back into a loose pony tail, and took a second to breath before I would go meet my friends again. I limped out into the hallway, then I realized that I was in the Royal Palace.

"Akira!" yelled Toph, running beside Katara up to me from down the hallway.

"How are you feeling?" asked Katara.

"I'll be okay," I responded with a wince as I shifted my weight on the crutch. "What's up?"

"Well, there's going to be a special audience today where Zuko's going to be giving a speech," said Toph.

"How are Zuko and Sokka?" I asked with curiosity.

"They're okay. They'll be healed up soon," answered Katara.

"So, was there anything wrong with Ren? I noticed she's bandaged," I asked Katara.

"Umm… well, she was burned a bit, but that will heal soon," she said nervously, and I knew she was hiding something.

"And?" I pried, sensing the energy in her body spike with anxiety. "You know I can basically read your emotions, right? So you might as well tell me now and save some time." My voice had a teasing tone, but it was also quite serious.

"Akira, the fire hit her eyes. She's blind now," Katara told me, frowning. I sighed, mostly at Katara's worry.

"Katara, she will always be able to see. Now she and I will see the same way. She won't have any trouble. Except now, she won't be able to admire the colors of her fire," I said with a pang of regret. Actually, this may not have been true. We may still be able to "see" the colors of the harmony fire.

"Akira? Is there anything else bothering you?" asked Toph.

"It's just… I thought Ren died. It seems like every time I come to love someone or something, it gets taken away from me. If Ren had died, I don't think I'd have lived," I told them, thinking about how I almost went across the light at the end of the tunnel. "I've also been thinking about my leg."

"Don't worry, Akira. Everything will get better," Katara told me.

"Yeah, I know it's hard right now, but that feeling will pass. Just wait. And you've got support," said Toph.

"Thanks guys. This really means a lot to me. Not just the advice, but that you guys are here for me," I told them, and we all shared a hug.

"C'mon! we've got a ceremony to attend!" exclaimed Katara, and together we walked to the end of the palace. There were hundreds of people there from the four nations. Then I sensed the presence of one very special boy. A positive energy flowed off of him in waves.

Teo.

* * *

**(A/N) If you are curious as to what Akira's prosthetic looks like, it's the same as the one Hiccup from ****_How to Train Your Dragon_**** has.**

**So, what'd you think of this chapter?**


	15. Good Enough For Me

**(A/N) Mwahahaha! The end is here! I feel like one of those guys on the street corner holding the sign that says "The World is About to End!"**

**Is that weird?**

**Eh... I don't care.**

* * *

_**Chapter 15: Good Enough for Me**_

"Teo!" I yelled, going as fast as I could on my crutch to meet him. We embraced for a long moment.

"I'm so glad you're okay! How are you feeling?" Teo asked me.

"I'll be okay. I was really worried about you guys after you left. I didn't know whether those airships had followed you!" I told him.

"We thought they would, but Haru made an earth tent to camouflage us," he said, pointing to Haru, who was exchanging a joke with the Duke. "So, I heard you're a hero. I guess that means you're too good for me now," he said with a teasing smile.

"Don't you believe it," I told him, bending down to give him a light kiss.

* * *

Katara, Toph, Sokka, Hakoda, Teo, and I waited with the crowd. Sokka's leg was in a cast and he was using a crutch to walk around. Just like I was.

"Hello, Akira," said Hakoda when Teo and I caught up to Katara and Sokka, who were running to hug their father.

"Hello, sir," I said. I would have bowed, but I didn't think I could manage it without falling over.

"I heard about what you did during the battle. Your parents would be very proud of you," he said. "I know I am. All you kids are the heroes of the world. And Akira, it takes a special person to make the sacrifice you did," Hakoda said, smiling, and I gave him a big hug, tears rolling down my face.

"Thank you," I told him. I was thanking him for more than just the complement. He was acting like a father to me. That's more than anyone else has ever done for me except my own parents, but I haven't seen them for ten years.

Suddenly the crowd started cheering, and I turned toward the stage. Zuko and Aang were taking the stage, and the audience was in a frenzy. Everyone was cheering for Zuko.

"Please. The real hero is the Avatar." Aang walked up to Zuko and stood next to him. "Today this war is finally over," Zuko said to the once again cheering crowd. "I promised my uncle that I would restore the honor of the Fire Nation. And I will. The road ahead of us is challenging. A hundred years of fighting has left the world scarred and divided. But with the Avatar's help, we can get it back on the right path and begin a new era of love and peace."

Zuko then knelt down, and Aang stepped back. The leader of the Fire Sages approached Zuko, carrying something in his hand. Then the Fire Sage leader spoke up.

"All hail Firelord Zuko!" he yelled, and placed what he was holding into Zuko's topknot. It was the Firelord's headpiece. The crowd began its loud and happy cheers. Everyone was hopeful for the success of this new Firelord.

"This is Zuko's coronation?!" I asked Sokka.

"You didn't know?" he asked, looking puzzled.

"Nope," I answered. Katara was giving me a devilish smile. Looks like she and Toph wanted it to be a surprise.

After the ceremony, everyone congratulated Zuko. It was a good day. The sun was shining. The birds were chirping. We were all happy.

* * *

"We finally get to relax!" exclaimed Toph. I was trying out my new leg again while we all hung out together.

"I've got this! I can do it!" I exclaimed, trying to keep my balance. It was harder than it looked.

"Your going to get it, Akira. It just takes time," said Aang with a smile. While he said it, I lost my balance and fell over onto the couch. I've had to practice near a place where I'd have a soft landing, but that didn't stop the pain that came from my arm and stomach, though. I moaned as the sharp pains erupted after my landing.

"If you want, I can give you another healing session," said Katara, seeing me wince and groan.

"Yeah. I think my body needs that," I told her. She got to work on that. "So, Firelord Zuko, what do you have planned for the Fire Nation?" I asked.

"Well, we're going to be hunting down any rebels who don't like this new peace. Then we'll just be doing whatever we can to restore the honor of the country," he replied while going to sit down next to his girlfriend, Mae. "What are you going to be doing?" he asked me. The question caught me off guard.

"I don't know. I haven't really thought about it. I'm not going back to my old town, though. I can't stand it there," I told them.

"Well, you can come with us," said Toph. I took a survey of the room, and felt the positive energy spike in everyone. They were all happy with the idea, and I found myself grinning ear to ear.

"I'd like that."

* * *

As I slept in the apartment in Ba Sing Sei, I realized everything was what I had hoped it would be. Ren and I, and Sokka and Zuko, all healed from our injuries. I accepted my permanent injury, and learned to walk using the artificial leg. Ren adjusted to blindness with great ease, and we both found that we understood each other just a bit more. I was soon able to ride Ren again, even with my fake leg.

And, something else that I loved very much, and recognized it every night, was that the nightmare that plagued me whenever I fell asleep was gone. I had a new family. I had a boyfriend. I had all my friends with me, and I was happy. That was enough for me.

* * *

**(A/N) Sorry this wasn't quite as long as the other chapters, but it's the end of the story, and so naturally it's a bit shorter.**

**I wasn't expecting a big turnout for this story. It was the second story I wrote, so it wasn't as good as the stuff I am currently writing but have yet to post. However, I thought it would be a shame not to post this story, so I did. It was a tough crowd, but I got the story up. I actually very glad I posted it, because I was thinking about writing another Avatar: the Last Airbender story, based off of this one. This is just a thought, though, so I'm not sure if I'll go through with it.**

**That it. That's the end. I have nothing more to say. What do you have to say? Review or pm me.**

**Thank you for reading!**


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